bsd_lover wrote:
Everyone, thanks for coming out and sharing. I'm really surprised at the quality of applicants that have been waitlisted and denied.
@DrManhattan I'm presuming you're a R2 applicant ? I've added you to the list.
@Foncia, Wolfie, eowyn and other waitlisters - b-schools admission is a marathon.When you finally get admitted and attend school , you will be all the more stronger for it and the experience will be even sweeter.
@gnr - buddy I really feel for you - you did not deserve this - 2nd time waitlist just shows that you are really close and just need that extra push to get you over the line. Try to find what the extra push is - extra-curricular / leadership / overseas experience and try to demonstrate some of it during the wait.
R2 applicants - observe the high quality of folks who were denied and waitlisted in R1 and note that applications is a tough tough process. Leave nothing to chance. Get that extra polish on the essays and show that extra love for the school. But also realise that luck plays a role in these admits and that being dinged or waitlisted doesn't prove anything in terms of what your true capabilities are.
bsd_lover,
I'm actually a successful Stage 1 applicant. I resisted joining GMATClub till I completed
all my applications and heard from
all my first round schools; however, I have closely followed these threads for months.
I think the best piece of advice (based on my experience in this process) I could offer Stage 2 applicants is that they really need to understand London Business School, and why they want to go there,
and that they can eloquently demonstrate this in their application essays. Application essays to top MBA programmes are always important, but I believe this importance is elevated to the level of "critical" when it comes to London Business School's MBA programme.
Do you homework! Be able to talk intelligently about courses you would find interesting, about clubs you would like to join (and this should make sense; for instance, stating an interest in the Korea Club without any professional, cultutal or personal ties to Korea or the Far East would seem, well, silly), and of current students and alumni you have interacted with in exploring the London Business School community, etcetera.
The London Business School essays are somewhat different from the standard fare of top American MBA programme applications. As such,
you'll sell yourself very short if you attempt the cut and paste approach that appears to work quite well with other applications.
Finally, do not rest on your oars if and when you become short-listed for an interview. The numbers are hazy, but I believe the post-interview acceptance rate is somewhere between 50% and 70%. While this is not an overwhelmingly pessimistic number, you must realise that your new competition, while smaller, is stronger; the "weaker" (in the eyes of the Admissions Committee) have already been weeded out.
As the Stage 2 lot gears up to polish off their essays and their overall applications, I'd be happy to share any insights as to why I think my approach to the London Business School MBA application got me all the way through the process. I think this thread is an incredibly useful forum!